


tales of falloween

by r0wlets



Category: Tales of Destiny, Tales of Series, Tales of Xillia, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, talesoffalloween, when life gives you pumpkins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:56:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r0wlets/pseuds/r0wlets
Summary: (Summary pending.) A group of pals decide to go to a pumpkin patch to help celebrate the christening of Halloween.





	1. Onwards! To the Pumpkin Patch: The Extravaspooksa (Part One)

_Chapter 01 – Onwards! To the Pumpkin Patch: The Extravaspooksa (Part One)_

Kanonno Grassvalley held onto her boyfriend’s strong, lean arm, looking up at him with the utmost excitement and adoration. It was the perfect fall weather. “I can’t believe we’re actually going to an honest-to-goodness pumpkin patch, Ludger!” she squealed, smiling. “I always thought they were just in the fairy tales Rocks told to me when I was little.” 

Ludger smiled back, patting her head. They had become friends ever since she enrolled in the college where he and Jude were graduate students, and over time they developed a relationship so sweet that it sometimes made other people gag. For the autumn season, it didn’t seem sweet enough. “You’ve never really celebrated Halloween, either, right?”

“No. The private school where I went didn’t really approve. Promoted very anti-Christian beliefs.”

“But the whole month of Halloween means one big religious holiday for pagans! Which means a whole month off from my part-time job, whoo-hoo!”

“….Earhart, you’re not even pagan.”

On the other side of Ludger, Kanonno Earhart looked like she was about to throw her PS Vita at the driver’s head. In the front mirror, Julius gave her a look that meant he would surely turn this van around if she tried it. Instead, she bounced the system against her seat and threw her arms around in Grassvalley’s direction, furrowing her eyebrows. “Sure, Grassvalley, I’m not a _practicing_ pagan, just a non-denominational Christian like most of us Americans! And us Americans celebrate every single holiday we can afford!”

“We’re not American, either, hon,” Jude interjected from the back.

Earhart placed her head in her hands, mock-sobbing. “My own boyfriend. First wastes me in this fighting game, and then in real-life roasting. Wasted, wasted…and Leia won’t stop singing about cabbages!”

On one side of Jude, Leia simply held out her Google Pixel, which had on the Japanese cabbage-lettuce Vine on infinite-loop. On the other side, Milla kept pressing down on his shoulder, big bazongas practically dangling under his nose as she kept trying to understand how the fighting game on the PS Vita worked. Jude knew better than to let her try a round, though. Besides cooking the older girl was also notorious with handling expensive technology. “Jude. Jude. A big, scary Alvin’s gonna end up eating you if you don’t tag me in.”

“Quit telling everyone Alvin’s a zombie.”

“Not until he gives me back that 20000 Gald.” 

In the front Julius gradually turned up the volume of the smoothest jazz cassette he could find at the flea market. Next to him Elize leaned her arm against the window, looking out at the scenery. There were cows everywhere. Teepo was sleeping, and picking up on her disinterest and wanting a distraction from the ruckus in the back, Julius glanced in her direction, hoping for some positive conversation. “How’s school been, Elize? Rowen’s told me you’re coming close to picking out a college.”

“Yeah. I was thinking of going to the college where Jude works at so I can always harass him.”

“Why would you want to harass Jude? Everyone gives him enough grief as it is.”

“Because he holds anti-pinkist views when he doesn’t share his game with Mllla.”

Julius brought his attention back to the road, debating whether or not now was a good time to finally teach Elize how to drive. Over the past few years, he had learned the hard way that this was a dog-eat-dog world, and if Elize ever wanted a better chance to succeed in life, she was going to have to learn how to be assertive.

Not too assertive, though. That’s how you raised people to throw their PS Vitas at you.

_SMACK_

The van slowed down by half. Earhart smacked the back of Julius’s seat, ready to unbuckle her seatbelt and climb over to the back to fight. Grassvalley gave her a long, lingering look; Ludger was neutral as usual. He knew it was never wise to get involved in their disputes, and he knew neither one of them were still over the Halloween squabble. It would be better to defuse the situation before Halloween was cancelled before it even started. “Jude. Let’s listen to the mixtape you, Milla, and Leia have been working on.”

All eyes fell on Jude, who sweatdropped. “Uh, I don’t think that’s the best idea.” 

“Hey, Julius! Think fast!”

Leia threw a cassette that narrowly missed Julius’s head. Groaning, he quietly picked it up from the middle of the seats and switched his smooth jazz with it, hoping he wouldn’t regret this. Almost immediately he would regret this. A bad mix of off-tune saxophone notes, piano notes, and clashing cymbal noises howled in everyone’s ears as a cover of the first Attack on Titan opening began blaring. Jude grimaced, throwing his own PS Vita to the floor as he turned to Leia, wide-eyed. “Why would you back up copies of that?!” 

“Jude!” There were stars in Earhart’s eyes. “Do you need a couple of more members? I can rap and Grassvalley can get those high notes in. Right, Grassvalley?”

Grassvalley’s bad mood disappeared. “Oh, that would be quite lovely! I’m also currently learning the beauty and elegance of the musical triangle. Ludger, dear, you could help with the producing too, couldn’t you?”

“Sure. Julius is driving us through a cornfield.” 

A bunch of corn stalks smashed against the windshield wipers. Julius still had his hands on the steering wheel but had passed out, probably due to the sudden shock. Elize pulled him out of the seat, pointing to the pedals for Teepo to press. “We lasted a lot longer than I thought we would. This won’t be a very cozy landing. Teepo?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

_THUD!_


	2. Onwards! To the Pumpkin Patch: The Extravaspooksa (Part Two)

_Chapter 02 – Onwards! To the Pumpkin Patch: The Extravaspooksa (Part Two)_

Ludger had one arm around Julius’s back, helping his ill brother get through the tall stalks of corn. The Will Kresnik brothers were not known for their strong hearts, and Julius especially was not known for taking well to surprises. There was still a small indent on his forehead from slamming it against the steering wheel earlier, and it was clear it had given him a slight headache. Most things did. All Ludger could do was be the supportive younger brother and make sure there were no other sudden noises or people.

Which, admittedly, was hard, given the company of most of their friends.

His other arm was closely by Grassvalley’s side, allowing her to occasionally squeeze his hand. This was his first relationship where he’d ever been so intimate. Normally he didn’t show much emotion; his last relationship with Jude never felt much more than a friendship. Yet with Grassvalley he felt invigorated, like he was a knight who had found his shining princess. 

He felt a lot more confident lately. 

“Are you sure you two don’t want to hang back at the van?” he asked. “It’s a two-mile walk. Or I could give one of you a piggyback ride. I’m strong enough for one.”

Julius chuckled, shaking his head. “What kind of uncool older brother would I be if I couldn’t tough out a little walk?”

“But brother. You’re already uncool. Let me carry you.”

“You just want to impress Kanonno. Besides, two tall men standing on top of each other might frighten onlookers. I’ll pass for now.”

“Mm.” He turned to Grassvalley, placing a hand behind his head. “What about you, dear? Are your feet hurting yet?”

Grassvalley also shook her head, smiling. “Not yet. I might not be the most athletic, but I can tough it out for a while. I might need assistance on the way back, though.”

Letting his grip of Julius go, Ludger leaned over, and the couple shared a quick kiss. Grassvalley grabbed onto his arm with both of her hands, holding it close to her. Any public outing was another chance to be sweet to the best person in the world. “Do you think it’ll be okay for us to be so far behind? I can barely see Earhart anymore.” 

“I don’t think you’ll make it at their pace, hon.”

At the faster pace, Earhart, Leia, and Milla had made a competition out of who could get to the pumpkin patch first. Jude was not far behind them, on the verge of passing out as he was supported by Elize. Teepo hovered around his head, snickering at him. “What’sa matter, Jude? Can’t keep up with your girlfriend?”

“Stamina…wasn’t built…in a day,” Jude panted, glaring at the puppet. 

“But your nerdiness was~”

Elize tugged on his cheeks, prompting the puppet to squeal. She rubbed Jude’s back, trying her best to be sympathetic. “You know what they say, Jude. Opposites attract.” 

“I…love her.”

He was sorely tempted to just drop to his knees and take a nap on the ground for a bit. Athleticism was never his strong suit. Unfortunately for Jude, however, Earhart was a jack-of-all-trades, meaning that she was interested in an assortment of activities, ranging from reading to impulsively buying things on the Home Shopping Network to running and mountain-climbing. Grassvalley had once told him that one time she ran two marathons within the same day. Ever since then Jude assumed he was dating a martian.

A cute martian, he’d gladly add.

The ground began to wobble back and forth in front of his eyes. Jude hurled out some of the sandwich he had for lunch earlier. Suddenly everything sounded so much further away. Elize lowered him down as gently as possible as corn stalks began to engulf his vision. Black spots, too. Oh, boy. If he expected for his relationship with Earhart to grow, he was going to have to at least try to get fit.

It felt like forever had passed when he heard Teepo shrieking from a distance, “There he is! Came close but only halfway to your Olympic stamina!”

“Haha, I’m nowhere near as Olympic good!”

Jude lifted a hand over his head to block out the sunlight. In a second wide, green eyes blocked out everything else, with a curl of pink tickling his nose. If Earhart was tired, her concern didn’t show it. “Jude, honey, are you okay?”

“My breath tastes like corned beef.”

Elize helped him sit up. Earhart cupped his head in her hands and bent her head close to his, sniffing by his mouth. Jude slowed his breathing in order not to laugh. “You just save the rest of your strength. This Halloween’ll be our first as a couple, so we have to make each moment this month as special as possible!”

For a split second, Jude thought she’d lay him back down and leave him for the wild animals to carry back to the van. Then, he felt the breath push out of him as he was knocked into the air and onto Earhart’s back. It wasn’t surprising that she could carry him; Earhart’s sword probably weighed about as much or more than him. Elize’s and Teepo’s silhouettes grew smaller and smaller as his girlfriend ran at triple speed. “Well, we might not be able to win first place, but we can probably snatch runner-up! _Rolling around at the speed of sound. Got places to go-_ “

She pointed at Jude, who weakly smiled. “ _Gotta follow my rainbow._ ”


	3. Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part One)

_Chapter 03 – Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part One)_

The long, lean leg of Milla’s stood proudly against a wooden sign with “Meebo’s Muk Patch” lazily scrawled on it with green paint. Closely following her were Earhart and Jude, followed by Leia. From a distance the others were trickling along. Earhart hunched over, letting her boyfriend dry-heave over her back and catch his breath while she crossed her arms, looking up at Milla in defeat. “I can’t believe I got beat again! Milla, do you ever actually try or are you just always playing with us?” 

Milla cocked her head in confusion, placing a hand on her hip. “What? You said it was a friendly competition. I’m not gonna break a sweat over friends.”

“Blaaargh.”

Earhart began to playfully hit against Milla’s stomach, but the Lord of Spirits and her rock-hard abs weren’t going to go down that easily. The soft punches were probably hurting Earhart’s fists more than they were Milla. Finally recovered some of his stamina, Jude snaked his way off his girlfriend’s back and walked over to the panting Leia, who was bent over almost ready to pass out herself. He handed her a water bottle, of which she poured the contents over her head. “Years of cross-country and travelling didn’t prepare me for half the power those to have!” she said between shaky breaths. “I don’t know why I was expecting anything different!”

Jude rustled her hair. “I think for an actual human being you kept up the pace pretty well.”

“Ha, thanks. Wait a sec.” She looked at Earhart punching Milla, then shared a glance with Jude, her green eyes widening. In a lower voice, she asked, “You think Kanonno Ez-Bake-Oven’s a demon, too?”

“Martian. She’s spreading that rumor herself.”

“My mistake. No wonder she can whoop your ass.”

“Leia, I’m a graduate student slash doctor. Anyone can whoop my ass.”

Teepo floated past them, shaking his head. “If you’re satisfied with your own mortal deficiencies, get back to walking!” he chided, tutting. “Thicc thighs save lives, and I do mean ‘thicc’ with two c’s.”

Leia puffed her cheeks and ran after the puppet, just missing her punches on his bottom. “Elize! We keep telling you to stop teaching Teepo these kinds of things!”

Bemused, Elize kept walking, tugging Julius forward. “He overheard you and Muzét talking about your superhero problems. Honestly, Leia, you’re never gonna grow up.”

“And neither are those boobs~” Teepo sang.

“B- _stop eavesdropping, Teepoooo!_ ”

Last to arrive were Grassvalley and Ludger, hand-in-hand. Rather than rush forward to the destination, taking a slower pace meant enjoying all of the sights, smells, and moments longer. Fall had always been Grassvalley’s favorite season; she associated it with relief and leisure after long summers of hosting dull parties and learning how to be both a diplomat and a lady. Rocks meant well, of course, but growing up she wondered what it was like having fun on the other side. 

She swung his arm back and forth, looking up at him with tender eyes. There wasn’t anywhere else in the world she’d rather be. “Isn’t the scenery breathtaking?” she asked.

The land stretched for miles, filled with pumpkins blessed by seraphim. Not a sign of toxic man-made influences could be found. There was a single scarecrow across from the sign, dressed with the expensive suit of a land developer who had tried to meddle with the pumpkin patch a few years ago. The developer had paid…dearly, and the humiliation was enough to scare away bad humans while still attracting local business.

The Will Kresniks were regulars. Ludger was more than happy to share his family tradition of going to the pumpkin patch with his girlfriend and their friends. Kissing Grassvalley on the top of her head, he smiled and sniffed her hair. It smelled faintly of strawberries. “One of the best places in the world. With one of my favorite people in the world.” 

“I hope to make my favorite person in the world happy by liking it~”

“You mean me, right?”

Earhart wrapped an arm around each of their necks as the couple shared a laugh. She pointed across a stretch of dirt, where a black car was parking. “Friend!”

“Friend!” Grassvalley hummed, smiling.

“I wonder what kind of friends she’s bringing with her today. I don’t know what she sees in him.”

“He’s…sometimes pleasant.”

“Sometimes pleasant in being an ass!” Earhart said hotly. “If he’s gonna be grumpy to everything and everyone, he should just stay home and let her take the bus!”

Grassvalley placed her own arm around Earhart’s shoulder, hugging her. Out of the three Kanonnos, Earhart was the one who wore her heart on her sleeve the most. As much as she tried, she wasn’t as social as most people thought. “She says he’s trying his best. You remember how good he was in the band with Ix, Mileena, and Asbel? They were really surprised with how courteous he was.”

“Honey, those three aren’t the best social butterflies, either…”

Ludger was growing more and more confused. It was easy to get lost in Kanonno Talk. “Have the rest of us met this guy?”

Earhart crossed her arms, pouting. “Jude has. They work within the same firm. Pompous, pun-hating, scowling son of a- PASCAAAAAA-“

She ran across the dirt, flinging her arms across her friend. Kanonno Pasca wasn’t known for being cuddly by most, but she beamed as Earhart and soon Grassvalley embraced her in a tight hug. Living in the city, rather than the closer, cozy suburb, made it harder for her to see them unless they planned in advance. She patted both of their heads. “Long time, no see, huh? I, uh, think my dress is stuck on the car.”

The other two girls took a step back as Pasca reopened and shut the passenger door, smoothing out the edges of her yellow sundress. On the other side of the car, a short, black-haired man was stuffing his glasses inside his vest. Upon seeing Earhart’s sour expression, he quietly shut the door, glowering back. Before Earhart could do or say anything, Pasca chuckled and grabbed her wrists, shooting the man a look. “Leon.”

“Pasca.”

“ _Play. Nice._ ”

Leon walked over to them and offered a hand to Ludger, who had a hard time looking the shorter man in the eye. His aura was just plain angry. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance. I’m Leon. Your ex-boyfriend needs to take care of himself better.”

“He’s…just my friend now, but okay. Ludger.”

Ludger put a hand behind his head, desperately trying his best not to blush. Pasca looked like she was about to let Earhart go and double tag-team to assert dominance. Grassvalley gently placed her hands over both of their stomachs, taking a step forward. “Hello, Leon. Didn’t really take you for one who celebrated Halloween.”

“Hhh, I don’t, really.” Leon sighed, a moment of softness in his eyes. “Marian wanted to make the apartment more festive here, and Pasca won’t stop running VHS tapes of _Halloweentown_. The change isn’t bad.”

“How’s Marian today?”

“She has some joint pain, but she was fine enough to start baking some cookies when we left her. Thanks for asking.”

The tension diffused immensely. Leon always did have a soft spot for Marian, his former maid and childhood friends. While the others made their introductions with him, Earhart inched closer to Pasca, leaning over her shoulder. “So who came out of doors number back?”

Pasca chuckled, sweatdropping. “Well, actually, I don’t think anyone in our group really celebrates Halloween like we do…”

“Freaking _Widdershin_? Pascaaaa…Pasca noooo….”

“We’re trying our best to help him while he’s on parole. He means well, deep down.”

Leon looked like he was about to say something unkind, but he bit his lip, scowling. The blue-haired man who had walked over to him had a similar, uneasy expression. “Pasca, you know not everyone means well, deep down…” he trailed off.

“I know that, Chester. And I know Widdershin means well, and you, and Velvet, and Leon! And everyone else here!”

“Especially not Leon, though,” Earhart mumbled under her breath.

She was just loud enough for Leon’s ears to perk up, and he shot her a dirty look, taking two steps forward. The tall, lanky Widdershin tucked Pasca under his noodle arms and began walking back towards the car. “Come on, dork. Not everyone shoves off insults as easily as you do. Might as well get a front seat to the action.”

Setting her down on the hood of the car, Widdershin made a camera motion with his index fingers and thumbs. From out of nowhere, Velvet took out a bag of pickled ginger from her purse and passed it to him. Grassvalley hesitantly stood on the other side of Pasca, tightly clutching Ludger’s hand. This happened every time. Leon’s temper was easily baited. Before long the whole group crowded around the car to see what was going on, Jude the last to arrive with his hands anxiously shuffling around in his jacket pockets. “They’re never going to get along, are they?”

Earhart and Leon faced each other on opposite sides of the entrance. Hopefully they’d end this before an employee kicked them all out…


	4. Intermission: Scary Boys and Stranger Things

_Chapter 4 – Intermission: Scary Boys and Stranger Things_

From a very young age, Pasca had known the value of hard work. She was the end and the beginning, and instead of going to a nice, fancy college and living in the suburbs like Grassvalley and Earhart, there she was balancing a full-time job and community college in the city. Bussing tables at a popular diner was the worst. The uniforms were always stained, and a lot of the customers were grumpy and left bad tips. Most days, Pasca wanted to quit her job.

Except that one time.

It was the day before she found out she had a bad bout of bronchitis. Her coughing spells had gotten so severe they made her stop and double over in coughing fits, but she refused to take sick days unless she needed them. So, as much as she hated her job, making rent money was more important, and so there she was, bringing up a plate of chicken fried steak and asparagus to a table. 

Two steps after delivering the food, she had the worst coughing fit of the day. There was still an hour left before her shift was over, and it was closing, but she still wheezed so hard she gripped her ankles. Her ribcage hurt so hard, she didn’t realize she was still in front of the customer until he pulled her aside, right where he had been sitting. “Don’t you take care of yourself?” he hissed.

“Minimum wage won’t let me afford that,” Pasca breathed.

“Sit there. I’ll talk to your boss…you can have one bite of my steak…. _one_.”

Two bites of chicken fried steak later, Pasca had a week off with pay and an angry soon-to-be boyfriend. 

Pasca sat quietly in the car, occasionally tapping her fingers against the armrest to the smooth jazz. Leon was very…reserved. He was often very snappish, and he didn’t talk to a lot of people; often he would shut himself in his office either at work or home for long stretches of time. Since Pasca had only ever been in bad relationships before, she assumed at the beginning that they weren’t going to last very long.

But six months later they were roommates, and Leon as a person and a boyfriend was beginning to open up in random waves. Developing PTSD from a young age, he was startled very easily, so he channeled that into calming activities. Swordfighting, meditating, gardening…he and Pasca even started baking together, sharing their creations with Marian. And whenever money was involved, Pasca wasn’t allowed to spend more than half on the bill. At all. Actually, Leon didn’t want her spending any money at all, having enough money to probably own a row of condos along the seaside, but that had resulted in a fight. A big fight. And it ended in a draw.

Now that she thought about it, aside from Earhart and Grassvalley, the rest of her friends were also…socially awkward. Widdershin could barely fit in the car, his head almost reaching the roof, but there he was in the middle, eagerly talking about life post-prison with the others. “I work with these kids in an after-school band program as part of my volunteer hours. You ever watch _The School of Rock_ , Chester?”

“With Jack Black?” Chester asked.

“Yes. I’m essentially Jack Black. These kids don’t know that sometimes in life, you gotta bend the rules to get what you want. Last week I took them to a crowded Chik-fil-a to teach them the power of coupons. Might’ve lost a kid or two at first, but we found them later. What do you two do?”

Chester scratched his head, smiling. “Accounting. My wife’s expecting soon, but she’s still holding down our joint daycare and orphanage. I think we were just destined to be around a lot of kids.” 

Velvet shrugged. “Your group of kids are probably more well-behaved than mine. PTA big sis, working my way up towards law school to become a defense attorney. Two kids, a younger brother and a nephew, and a bunch of alcoholic roommates. And my girlfriend’s training to be scouted in the NBA.”

Pasca turned around, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“It’s her lifelong dream to star in _Space Jam 2_. I keep telling her that’s never gonna happen. Her dad pays the rent, so we just gotta wait until she gets bored of it. She doesn’t have an attention span.”

Widdershin shook his head. “That’s crazy.”

“My life’s constantly chaotic evil, so I manage. Usually I study at Pasca’s or our friend Mileena’s. If they don’t behave well enough, I don’t feed them.”

While the others grilled Velvet over her busy PTA ways, Pasca stared out the window, enjoying the scenery. It was rare that she travelled outside the city, and the country was always so refreshing. It actually smelled like fall here, cold air and firewood and cow dung instead of car exhaust and weed. Not too many rude drivers either; they could go 80 in a 60 and not crash…probably.

She tapped the window, smiling. “Horses,” she said under her breath.

“You ever go horseback riding?”

Leon said it so quietly that Pasca jumped in her seat, tightly gripping the sides. She stared at him with wide eyes, shaking her head. “N-No.”

“…sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you. There’s a farm going further out west, run by the Lanvaldear heiress. She lets kids ride the horses all the time. We could go sometime.”

“Does she have other animals?”

“Hmm? Goats. Rappigs. Probably some stray cheagles.”

“Goats! Oh, the other Kanonnos would probably love to go, too sometime.”

“You…enjoy their company a lot.”

They stared at each other. Uh-oh. This was going to end in an impasse. It wasn’t that Leon _disliked_ Earhart and Grassvalley. He just felt very anxious around them, which usually made visits between them not go the best. That, and the last time Earhart screamed that he was a booger ass after fighting over who would pay for their last dinner. “Leon, are you sure you’re going to be okay today? There’s gonna be a lot of people at the pumpkin patch…including them.”

“If we’re gonna celebrate Halloween together this year, I want to make sure everything’s perfect. You shouldn’t have to make all of these important decisions by yourself.”

“I think she’s more than capable of picking out a pumpkin,” Widdershin butted in.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion! I just thought it would be nice if Pasca and I picked out a pumpkin together!”

There was silence. Then, Velvet slowly raised an eyebrow. “Oh…”

The others followed suit. Leon’s face turned a light red, a combo of embarrassment and anger written all over it. “Look. I will cancel Halloween and turn this car around right now. I can get ahold of whoever runs this entire tri-state area within twenty minutes and have them cancel Halloween on some serial attacker or bad poison in candy. I don’t use that power too often, but I am more than capable of-“

“Just make your girlfriend happy and save the trouble, jackass,” Velvet interrupted him, rolling her eyes.

More silence. Widdershin and Chester looked like they were about to jump out of the car. Pasca hesitated at first but then, very softly, patted Leon on the back. He started a bit but only grunted in reply, allowing her to rub his back in small circles. “Just do your best to play nice, okay?” she asked in a soft voice. “I know it’s gonna be a hard day on you. Just hang back behind them if they exhaust you too much, I’ll understand.”

A long pause. Then, “…I’ll do my best.”

Widdershin let out a loud cheer that was quickly silenced by Leon’s death-inducing glare. Pasca went back to staring out the window, letting her hand linger on Leon’s arm. Not brushing it off was a good sign. She’d make sure that if they did go to the farm, they’d go by themselves the first time. Admittedly it’d be cute to ride side by side on horses as…as…

She blushed. After the first time, she couldn’t guarantee they’d be alone…


	5. Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part Two)

_Chapter 5 – Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part Two)_

It was well-known that Earhart and Leon couldn’t get along very well; it was also well-known that just about every time they were face-to-face, they were bound to get into some kind of confrontation. There they were now, facing each other in the makeshift parking lot, glaring each other down for size before the inevitable was to come. The only thing their friends didn’t know was the outcome – so far the results were fifty-fifty.

Grassvalley never enjoyed fighting, so she was relieved to have two of her best friends on either side of her. She pressed her face against Ludger’s arm and shut her eyes, grimacing, listening to Pasca’s troubled voice. “Leon, come on!” the deeper voice pleaded. “You agreed to walk away if things got too heated!”

“Shut up! Stay out of this!” 

Pasca flinched. Once Leon’s mood soured this much, it was pretty difficult getting him out of it. While Grassvalley didn’t like to judge, she couldn’t understand how one could act so ungentlemanly towards others in public. Earhart was another of her best friends, but refining her manners a little still wouldn’t hurt…She grunted quietly, looking up at her boyfriend and her friend. “Can’t one of us stop them? I would hate if we’re kicked out of the pumpkin patch before even being able to take a tour…”

Ever the laid-back man, Ludger shook his head, placing a hand behind his head. “It’s best if we let them solve this themselves. One day they’ll learn to tolerate each other.”

“Besides, I think everyone is too invested in the fight to stop them,” Pasca added grimly, pointing. 

Next to her Widdershin was fully attentive, his back straightened to look like a giant hobgoblin. The pickled ginger was in half of the group’s mouths, and Velvet was crouching, making tally marks in the dirt with her daemon claw. It almost looked like they were taking bets. Jude stood in-between Julius and Elize, a palm resting on his forehead. “I think the worst part of this is that Earhart would be in on this if she weren’t the one fighting…” he mumbled, sighing. 

Teepo sat on his shoulder, his mouth wide and grinning. “Cheer up, Jude. If Earhart loses, Ludger might take pity on you and let you borrow Grassvalley off and on!”

“That’s not funny, Teepo.”

The puppet cackled. Jude turned to the Kanonnos, bowing slightly. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. 

Grassvalley blushed, dismissively waving her hand. Pasca chuckled nervously, placing a hand behind her head. “Don’t worry about it, Jude. I’m just as sorry as you are.”

It looked like the main event was about to begin. Earhart took the first step forward, crossing her arms and tilting her head back, a perfect intimidation technique that she watched from all of those gangster movies. “C’mon, Leon, why don’t you ever make the first move?” she taunted. “No one likes someone who’s all bark and no bite. The only ones who deal with it are your friends and Marian. Pasca’s gonna tire of it eventually.”

“Shut up!” Leon snapped. “Why do you have to meddle in our relationship like you know everything?!”

“I _do_ know everything! I’m her best friend in the world! In the universe, even! And she could do tons, tons, tons better than a stupid jerk like you! So, make your move!”

A flash of silver struck the air as the tip of Leon’s trusted sword, Chaltier, brushed against Earhart’s chin. If the pink-haired girl was afraid, she didn’t show it, sliding her hands against the blade as she tilted her head as far back as she could. Leon’s expression remained passive. “I don’t have time for this,” he said quietly. “You want to settle this in a fight? I’ll finish you off and then go into this stupid pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect, stupid pumpkin for my househo- BLAGH-“

Before he could finish his sentence, a large pumpkin was smashed over his head. Behind him was a short, blonde-haired girl in overalls and a cowboy hat with a scythe. On top of the scythe was what looked to be a pumpkin pie. “Yee-haw. Ain’t no time for fighting in my wholesome Christian patch.”

Swinging the sword forward, she flung the pie straight into Earhart’s face. The Kanonno dramatically waved her arms in the air and took two steps back, smearing whipped cream over her hands. Grassvalley and Jude rushed to help her as the girl walked forward and twirled her scythe, whistling to the tune of “Simple Man” by Lynrd Skynrd. “Best if you don’t keep Farmer Edna waitin’. I gotsa bunch’a other places to snooze besides dealin’ with you meddlesome humans.” 

There was a lot of shuffling and cleaning and pulling a giant pumpkin off of Leon’s head, but finally the group scrambled together, notably subdued. Edna led them to a wooden, rickety stand that said ‘customer service’ across it, where two men and a woman sat. The brunette man and woman, upon seeing the large group, stood up with bright smiles; the other man gave one disinterested look and went back to reading his book. The first man grabbed a cowboy hat and made a thumbs-up. “Howdy, folks! I’m Sorey, and my partner next to me is Lailah!” he greeted warmly. “The grumpopokey next to me’s Mikleo. He’s what y’call a bookworm.”

Mikleo raised an eyebrow. “Grumpowhat?”

Sorey tutted. “C’mon, Mikleo. You and Edna never have fun with this. It’s the holiday season! Lailah, what kinda refreshments we got?”

“Oh! We got burnt cornbread, burnt pie, burnt beans, hot, spicy chili…” Lailah placed a finger on her chin, thinking of the other options. “Oh! And we have lemonade and cider. If you have a strong stomach, I _must_ recommend the chili! I made it completely by scratch~”

“Yeah, and even with our prolonged lifespan, she’s trying really hard to prove our immortality otherwise,” Edna muttered, smirking. 

“Oh, come on, Edna! I didn’t send anyone to the hospital…the last time…”

Despite Lailah’s claims, no one rushed forward to grab anything. There was an awkward silence before Velvet raised her claw, straightfaced. “Uh, I think we’re good. We’re just here to pick out some pumpkins.”

Immediately everyone pounced on Velvet as the leader role. Lailah crept up next to her and gave her a sideways hug, smashing her chest against the demon claw arm. Luckily enough, Velvet did not so much as flinch. “What a gal! I could just eat you up and mix you in my chili!”

“That’s how you win ‘em over!”

“ _Edna…_ ” Lailah puffed her cheeks at the shorter girl and patted Velvet up and down, as if she were a child on her first field trip. “So thin! So muscular! What a poster young lady for good health! Are you sure you don’t want to try any of my chili?”

“….I’m darn tooting. Look, we’re not in a rush, but it would be nice to move the process along a little faster…”

“Okie-dokie! Sorey, Mikleo, why don’t you two boys help our sweet, spiced boys, gals, and every other pal? I’ll see if Zaveid wants any of my chili~”

“Right-o!”

Sorey pulled Mikleo forward and stepped in front of them, placing the hat on Mikleo’s head. “There we go! Gotta put the fun in the patch somehow!” To the group he clapped his hands together. “O-kay! Saddle up, everypal, ‘cause we’ll get y’ nice and situated. For now we can stay in one big group, but if you want to explore a little deeper, we can always split into two. No venturin’ off without a buddy, of course, and if you need to stop at any time, just let us know. Let’s make this the best Halloween season yet!” 

Edna and Mikleo clapped. Earhart cupped a hand and leaned over Grassvalley’s shoulder. “I’m still not sure if we’re gonna have fun yet,” she whispered. “Are you having fun yet, G?”

Grassvalley looked down at the ground. “Truth be told, just thinking about that chili made my stomach upset…”


	6. Intermission: Yuri Is a Gremlin

_Chapter 6 – Intermission: Yuri Is a Gremlin_

A couple of hours before the current visitors arrived, Yuri Lowell was busy carrying large sacks of fertilizer across Meebo’s Muk Patch in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. From a young age, he’d always consider himself a jack-of-all-trades, taking whatever jobs he could in order to fund his upcoming director career. No matter how many times his fiancée, Estelle, tried to reason with him, he would be convinced that he was on the verge of a breakthrough. One more crappy indie film, and they would be living on his money, in a nice condo by the sea. Or Vegas. He always wanted to try living in Vegas for a while. 

This was a _real_ bad job, though. They’d been doing this for _days_.

“Long face, Yuri?”

Yuri gave a look at Lloyd. There was no reasoning with his brown-haired companion – that guy was meant to live on a farm with all of that endless energy he possessed. So cheerful, too. It was cool when Estelle tried to cheer him up, but he always felt uneasy when most other people did it. Insincerity and all that jazz.

Except Lloyd was probably the most sincere guy he’d ever bump into. 

“I’m getting a little tired,” he said, faking a yawn. “Early to bed, early to rise. At least our shift’s almost over.”

“Yep! Just get the fertilizer a little further and spread it across the remaining seeds. Then I can get home and play some Yahtzee with Colette.”

“Colette’s your girl, right?”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “Colette’s my….friend.”

Yuri shook his head. He wondered if Lloyd would ever get it. From day one of this job, he easily figured out that this Colette girl obviously had the hots for him, but both of them were so dense that it seemed getting any closer to friend was a challenging task. To be honest it was almost hilarious. Still, he didn’t want to be too much of a jackass. Lloyd’s cheerfulness rubbed a soft spot on him. “You two really like Yahtzee, huh?” he finally managed to muster. 

“Yeah. Colette loves board games. The more, the merrier, but when we can’t get the whole crew around, Yahtzee’s good for two players. Or Go Fish.”

“If you have enough time for chitchat, you can quit slacking and walk faster to the patches.”

Richter walked past them, giving Yuri another one of his condescending disapproval looks. Yuri and Lloyd both stuck their tongues out at him behind his back; Yuri didn’t think the tall half-elf really got along well with anybody. Behind them Spada stuck out his own tongue, shrugging. “Ricky’s in good spirits as always, ain’t he?”

Richter’s shoulders visibly stiffened. Yuri gestured at him. “The perfect ladies’ man.” 

“Don’t call me that,” Richter growled.

Yuri smirked. Okay, maybe this job wasn’t so terrible. “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

Looking back at Spada, they exchanged a grin. Lloyd, as oblivious as ever, kept on walking. “You’re always such a hard worker, aren’t you, Richter?” 

“…can’t get anywhere without hard work,” was the simple, curt reply.

They fell into silence until they reached their destination. As much as he didn’t get along with the half-elf, Yuri had to acknowledge that Richter was smart. The less he talked and focused on his work, the faster he’d be able to get home and enjoy a piece of Estelle’s pie. He was pretty sure she was making a rhubarb blend tonight. Licking his lips he hoisted the bag over his shoulders and walked the final stretch, gazing towards his work.

Always being a direct, hands-on person, Yuri didn’t know how seraphim did their work and thrived around these parts. Nor did he really want to. It was better to let magic be dealt by those who really knew how to use it. However, he was pretty sure Farmer Edna and her friends were doing a little extra _something_ to the land. The pumpkins didn’t start growing around these parts until they moved close to town; in fact, the nearest town didn’t even _exist_ until after the pumpkin patch business really took off. So much for the seraphims’ blessing. 

He looked down at the dirt and winced. The pumpkins in this area could fit in the palm of his hand. He wasn’t sure if the best fertilizer in the world could save these. “Hey, Spada?” he called, cutting open the sack. 

“What?”

“You ever wonder why we take on pointless jobs like this?”   
“Eh, that’s just how life’s always been,” Spada said, shrugging as he ripped open his sack with his teeth. “Workin’ my ass hard on stuff like this so other people don’ hafta. Whatever pays my bills and keeps the seraphim outta my hair, I guess.”

“You think anyone’ll buy these?”

“Hell, I wouldn’t. What a waste of money.”

Lloyd tilted his head. “I dunno, I think Colette would love one of these. Might pick one up later after work.”

Richter shook his head. “We’re not the ones in charge of selling these. However, I will admit that it’s doubtful. I don’t know what Edna’s thinking.”

Yuri began to dump the contents across the soil, smoothing it over with a shovel. A strong, floral smell spread throughout the air, making him cough. He knew exactly what Edna was thinking; Edna didn’t _care_. To her, even existing on this Earth at this time was just child’s play. Whether or not the pumpkins actually sold didn’t matter. She’d probably just use the unsold ones to smash or something.

He grimaced. He was going to have an extra piece of pie tonight.


	7. Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part Three)

_Chapter 7 – Pumpkin Patches Are the Next Pieces of Free Real Estate (Part Three)_

Earhart refused to let go of Jude’s hand. She was never good at hiding emotions, and the angrier she got, the harder it was. The original plan was for today to be a date night. She and the other Kanonnos would gather together, with their dates, and they’d have fun and make out with their dates and pick out some sweet pumpkins. Since she had planned this a couple of months ago, she had planned for Leon to be out of the picture by now. Pasca deserved someone less brutal, someone…softer. 

Now Pasca wasn’t even _with_ them, having decided to stay behind with one of the workers, and the two other Kanonno couples were grouped up with Milla, Widdershin, and their guide, Mikleo. Milla was pretty cool, having a cool big sister vibe attitude and big, knocking bazongas, but she was still on the fence with Widdershin. He _did_ try to destroy the world once (although, to be fair, _Pasca_ tried to destroy the world once as well to try and save her own), and he was just…something about him annoyed her. 

And then just thinking about small, stupid Leon….

“Ow! Babe, your nails dug into my palm again…”

Earhart’s eyes widened, wincing as she slowly turned to Jude, who looked sheepish. She then mirrored his expression, laughing nervously. “O-Oh, sorry…I keep doing that, right?”

“Right. Is the fight still bothering you, Kan? You were looking forward to this…”

Her sour expression was all the confirmation Jude needed. There wasn’t much he could do besides hold her hand and comfort her, so he looked at Ludger’s back in front of him. Ludger and Grassvalley seemed to be having a better time, with the smaller Kanonno talking to Milla. It was an odd combo, but they looked to be enjoying themselves. “If I may be so bold to ask, Milla, what is your profession?” Grassvalley asked.

“Huh? Oh, you mean job.” Milla tossed back a few strands of blond hair, looking up at the sky carefree as usual. “I guess the closest thing you could call me is a PTA mom. The meetings are kinda boring, but we do a lot of fun stuff for the kids and the food’s great. I get several bags of free popcorn a week. Sometimes it’s burnt, but it’s usually good. And let me tell y’, Grassvalley, the brownies are always to die for.” 

Grassvalley tilted her head, confused. “Wait a minute. I thought PTA mothers were just volunteers?”

Ludger placed a hand on her shoulder, sighing. “She is. She’s also not a mom. She and Muzét just have a lot of free time on their hands, although she _does_ help out a lot with watching Elle when everyone else is busy.”

“Hey, someone’s gotta watch the pipsqueak and be the big sister.” 

“Millaaaaa~ be my big sisteeeer~” Earhart sang.

Letting go of Jude’s hand, Earhart wrapped her arms around Milla’s waist, butting her head against her stomach. The taller woman’s face softened as she ruffled her hair. “How could I ever get tired of being your and Jude’s big sister, Earhart? It’ll be tough getting rid of someone like me!”

There was a loud choking noise. Everyone turned around to look at the straggler in the back, whom Milla gestured to with her thumb. “Hey, speaking of kids, who lost theirs?” 

Earhart and Grassvalley looked at each other, as if they were almost telepathically duking it out in the back of a 7-11 parking lot. Earhart was better at talking to big, scary men, but Grassvalley had a gentler way of dealing with them. Less fists, more talking…but often more panicking as well. Usually Pasca was the middle ground between the two. After several agonizing long seconds of silence, Earhart threw out her fist and palm, prompting Grassvalley to groan. “Come on, Earhart. Don’t do this to me. I always lose.”

“Look, no one wants to deal with him!” Earhart hissed in a low voice. “One of us gotta do it.”

“Just make Jude do it!”

“No, _you_ just make _Ludger_ do it! I send Jude out, that snack is gonna get gobbled up!” 

Both women glared at their boyfriends. As if on cue, Jude conveniently slipped behind Milla, and Ludger ducked behind a tree. Milla watched them curiously as Grassvalley took out her weapons from her dress pockets. After five – no, seven – rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Grassvalley quietly stomped her feet against the soil and shuffled to Widdershin in the most awkward way possible. “What’s the matter, Widdershin dear?” she squeaked.

She almost fainted as the descender towered over her, shuffling in his place. Obviously not used to being paid attention to, he nervously pulled on one of his horns. “I was just thinking….where’s my little sister to love and adore? You heathens just snatched her away from me. There’s only a few reasons to live on this Earth, and she’s one of them.”

Everyone knew who she was talking about. Earhart gestured with her hands for Grassvalley to go on, which she reluctantly did. “Pasca’s just resting with Alisha back at customer service. We’ll see her soon.”

“I’m just…” More rubbing of his horn. “I’m not very good at making friends without her. I got a gal of my own, but she doesn’t get along very well with others, either. A lot of people think I’m a big, scary freak.”

“Aren’t you that guy who tried to destroy the world?” Milla butted in.

There was a thick tension in the air. Ahead of them Mikleo finally looked behind them, startled that everyone was so behind him. Shaking his head he forced a smile, muttering under his breath, “I knew we should’ve stuck as one group…”

***

 

Leon was making Widdershin look like a social butterfly. He was not good at socializing or interacting with others in general. Truth be told, he didn’t really need to search for the perfect pumpkin at this dump at all. If he really wanted the perfect pumpkin, he could just call Stahn and ask him to look for one. That idiot usually had good taste with everything outdoors. 

But Marian was looking forward to something picked out by him, and Pasca…

He resisted clawing his face in front of everyone. Not only had he lost his temper within ten minutes of parking, he made his girlfriend so anxious that now they weren’t even picking out the pumpkin together. And he was surrounded by her friends, other than Chester. He was in a nice, quiet group, but he still couldn’t shake off the fact that he was leaving a terrible impression on them. Usually he would never care about that, but when it came to Pasca…

His hands came closer to his face. Ever the smart one, Velvet kept a close but far eye on him. The girl with the puppet, she too was very observant. Neither felt like they were prying; both felt gentle, perhaps even concerning. Before he knew it, the girl was walking alongside him, shyly tugging on her dress. “How long have you two been dating?” she asked.

Leon was taken slightly aback. He hadn’t expected the girl to be so blunt. “Six months,” he stated plainly back.

“Miss Pasca’s really patient. Whenever Uncle Julius doesn’t know how to help me with my homework, she usually helps me out through the phone somehow.”

“Which is a lot more often than you’d think!” the puppet chirped, smirking.

“C’mon, Teepo, I try my best!” Julius grumbled behind them.

 

“Sure you do, Juicy Ju. All that mindless accounting really made your brain dull.”

While Julius tried to grab Teepo, Leon kept his attention on the girl. Velvet placed a hand on her shoulder, shrugging. “Kid’s right. Kanonno would go through Hell and back just to help someone. Pretty sure that’s true for all of them, but she’d probably be the leader. Just look at our car setup. Not many people would befriend ex-convicts like me and Widdershin so easily. Or a pipsqueak like you.” 

Leon scowled, looking away. He couldn’t deny that. “She puts up with so much of me. I keep thinking it’d be better for us to break up, but every time I hint at it, she knows and she looks so sad. Why would she be sad about that? Anyone would be happy to date her.” 

“Because she loves _you_ , you dolt.”

He kept staring forward as they stopped at a particular patch of soil. At first he thought there was nothing there, until he saw their guide, Sorey, crouching down and pointing out some vines to Chester. They were no bigger than stalks of celery or bok choy. “Hmm, I guess we got some little guys this year,” Sorey murmured, placing a finger to his chin. “Guess we’ll find them homes somewhere. You wouldn’t be interested in one, would you?”

“Hmm…” Chester took one of the pumpkins, which fit within the palm of his hand. Closely examining it he gently pinched the top of the stem. “I don’t think it’d be a good fit for our house personally. Arche usually likes celebrating the holidays big.”

“That’s understandable. A lot of people love Halloween. How about anyone else? Any takers?”

Sorey looked to the rest of the group, grinning. Before he could stop himself, Leon stepped forward, raising a finger. “I’ll take three.”

The others gawked at him; he would’ve gawked at himself if he were in their place. He never made such impulsive decisions. An anime vein popped up near his temple as he could hear Chaltier in his head. _I didn’t expect you to get this soft this fast, Master Leon. Being around the girls has really benefited you._

“I’LL TAKE THREE.”

“T-That won’t be a problem,” Sorey stumbled, scratching his head. “Anyone else, by chance?”

Velvet shrugged, raising her hand. “Phi would want me to root for the underdog. I’ll take one.”

Elize hesitated at first before also stepping forward and raising her hand. “Um. If Uncle Julius says it’s okay, I’ll take one, too.”

Julius looked startled as he turned to Elize, ignoring Teepo’s continuous baiting. “Are you sure, Elize? We can still look for other pumpkins if you want.”

“No, these are cute. I think me and Elle can settle for something more homely.” 

“Well, all right, it’s fine with me. If Milla’s not too into it, she’ll probably bring a giant one of her own.”

Chester placed a hand on his hip, chuckling. “Well…if everyone’s getting one, I’ll get a small one and a big one. I think Arche will be happy with variety as well.”

Sorey made a small cheer, clapping his hands. While the others picked their pumpkins, Leon hung back observing, calmly picking out the pumpkins he wanted when he chose last. Velvet went over to them, carrying one of the smallest pumpkins, but he didn’t feel too bothered. Although he didn’t know the woman too well, he sensed they had similar enough backgrounds to at least get along. “Picking from the heart’s gonna make her really happy, you know.”

“What are you talking about?” Leon snarled.

“Don’t play dumb. You’re agonizing making the perfect choices. It’s written all over your face. As long as you pick from the heart, she’ll love it. You’re already making a big step by doing this.”

Before he could make a retort, she had already walked away to talk to Chester. His lip curled, wanting to converse with Chaltier, but he kept silent, continuing to observe. Even though they were the quieter group, everyone still seemed so happy, even Velvet. For the first time in a while, he felt envious. Could he and Pasca ever achieve that same level of happiness? It was true that perhaps she had persuaded him to be…kinder, but…

Three small pumpkins in a row caught his eye. The middle one was lumpy and leaned on its side.

Well, he was pretty sure Pasca would find it endearing…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this up a few days ago, but I've been having some bad executive dysfunction + depression issues for a few weeks. Now that Halloween's passed, though, this might be taking a considerable decrease in updates, but it's still a fun project to do. c:

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what direction I'm going to take this fic in. I just wanted to write something fun and (eventually) spooky while all the artists do inktober. It's all about the high-stakes shenanigans, though. c:


End file.
